scientific double blinded cable test

It seems to me that those who are clamoring for blind tests should be the ones conducting the blind tests.

@cleeds

You are correct. However, that is a generalization. Within the context of this thread specifically the blind test I'm advocating for should be conducted by the party who has the most to gain or loose by the result of the test. Clearly that would be Geoff, as he is the one who professes that wire has directionality. I'd have to think *he* would be interested to learn if he could actually hear a difference.

That’s exactly right! Skeptics always demand that True Believers do the blind test. As if that will prove skeptics were right, after all. The skeptics never do the blind tests themselves. What are they afraid of?

@geoffkait

But it is posts from people like you that create skepticism in the first place! The burden of proof to your outlandish claims lies with you, not those that are skeptical of them. 

Why would I deny or discount what I clearly hear, just because it doesn’t fit into someone else’s worldview? I don't need a blind test to prove to myself what I hear.

@tommylion

You wouldn't deny or discount what you hear just because someone else disagrees, doesn't hear what you do, etc. And you're absolutely correct that you do not need a blind test to prove anything to yourself.

So please allow me to ask your opinion - within the context of audio - how would one prove a wire is directional (i.e. can hear a difference oriented one way or the other) *without* a blind test?

So in some experiences, the "body" can discern before the mind.

@electroslacker

I agree.

Funny you should ask!  Kidding, my buddy recently compared a few digital cables.  We heard differences for sure.  Hugh difference, well nope.  Slight differences in overall dimension, clarity, smoothness, etc.  The higher priced digital cable won out but not at two and a half the price difference.  It also did not have the clarity of the cheaper cable.  My other friend couId hear the differences in our other friends system but not that much in his system so system dependent?   have stated many times in the past, swap out a few resistors and you will probably hear bigger differences.  I have a selector switch in my preamp so I can change resistors to go with the recording on the fly!

Happy Listening.

Well, I certainly hope you’re not trying to convince us that everybody will get the same subtle results that you and your buds got. It all comes down to the sticky question, what exactly do tests prove, if anything - even when they’re positive? We already know what they prove when they’re negative, right?

@geoffkait
I do wish you would read and comprehend before blasting

I doubt anyone could hear a significant difference between those two particular cables.

Approximately HALF the participants COULD tell the difference better than guessing. How else would we have come up with an even split?

I assume you were trying to portray Monster as a sort of high end cable.

We were not trying to portray anything. We were conducting an open test where anyone could participate and indicate whether they could repeatedly identify the cable as A or B. Any detected difference between the two cables was not captured as it was not relevant.

I had some Monster Cable circa 1983 and frankly, it sucked.

As I’ve mentioned several times, cable interacts with the amplifier and speakers. There are 3 possibilities relative to the existing cable: Better - No Change - Worse. While the cable maybe demonstrably worse electrically, it may be preferred by listeners in that system at that time.

In any case, as I’ve opined on more than a few occasions, a single test

As I said, "Some who took repeated tests could tell better than 80%." We structured the test so some would take it many times and each test series was different. Statistically, getting it right better than 80% that is way beyond what could be achieved by guessing.

means nothing when the results are inconclusive or negative.

There are multiple possible conclusions: Cables make no audible difference - Cables make an audible difference - The test was so poorly run with such bad equipment that it is impossible to tell.

There are many factors that biased against detecting differences: poor seating, distractions, poor room.

In other words you cannot draw any generalizations or conclusions.

Given that half the participants could reliably tell in adverse conditions, my takeaway was that people could distinguish differences... which I’ve maintained and reliably detected for more than 40 years.

And things have changed a little bit since the 80s, you betcha.

Yeah... lots of internet experts without one iota of technical expertise

Wire directionality can easily explain the results of your test. Wire directionality was not even a gleam in an audiophile’s eye in the ‘80s. For all you guys knew, you were comparing directions, not cables. Would it be fair to say one person in the group had reasonably good hearing but the rest were of, uh, unknown or questionable ability? 🙄